Things I Didn’t Know About the Amish (For Example – They Could be Reading This…)

I didn’t realize I had misunderstood the Amish until I read an article in TheTechnium that described them differently than the neo-Luddite hillbillies I had imagined. (Which is really unfair, in retrospect.) I was surprised to find out that, not only are they technologically bright, but one particular group of them even manufactures an electric fireplace that is sold to people all over the world.

Electricity is not a problem for the Amish – but it is very important for them to feel like they are “separated” from the rest of society. Being linked up to the same power grid as a local strip club is unacceptable, but something like solar power is not.

My knowledge of the Amish begins and ends with Harrison Ford. (Same goes for archaeology and space travel.) Also, Viggo Mortenson plays an Amish teenager in this film and I always look for Orcs to come running over the hills when he is on screen.

The Amish also have pioneered interesting ways to use pneumatic energy to make their own localized electricity and are known to put solar powered telephone booths in their fields so they can call to check on their wives – who answer on their own solar powered gizmo. Currently, some Amish are considering cell phone use.

They are not opposed to using someone else’s electricity or riding in someone’s vehicle because owning a thing is not the same as using a thing. Amish can also be seen in local libraries using the internet – so it’s only a matter of time before they find out about “Amish Paradise“.

Fearing they could go “Ben Hur” at any moment, local motorists cautiously let the Amish buggy have the right of way….

Interestingly, if some lunatic destroyed the power plants in Pennysylvania area the Amish could use their electricity and go about business as usual. If the power grid failed the rest of us would be technologically behind them for a change. Their ability to survive without the outside world might make them the wisest people on the planet. (Also, Michael Bay should make a film about what I just typed.)